Theater best bet: 'Wicked' revisits the Hippodrome

Some of us gratefully accept "The Wizard of Oz" without a second thought -- flying monkeys, ruby slippers and Toto, too. But novelist Gregory Maguire found himself asking some tough questions about those good and bad witches who interacted with a dear little Kansan, and exactly why said witches ended up being labeled good and bad. Maguire devised a rich back story about pre-Dorothy Oz in his novel "Wicked," which inspired a hit musical that opened on Broadway in 2003 with songs by Stephen ("Godspell") Schwartz and book by Winnie ("My So-Called Life") Holzman. The touring production of this clever, witty, even wise show returns to Baltimore to shine a bright green light on the fall season, four years after its box office record-breaking first visit. "Wicked" opens Oct. 3 and runs through Nov. 4 at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Call 410-547-7328 or go to ticketmaster.com. -- Tim Smith

Some of us gratefully accept "The Wizard of Oz" without a second thought -- flying monkeys, ruby slippers and Toto, too. But novelist Gregory Maguire found himself asking some tough questions about those good and bad witches who interacted with a dear little Kansan, and exactly why said witches ended up being labeled good and bad. Maguire devised a rich back story about pre-Dorothy Oz in his novel "Wicked," which inspired a hit musical that opened on Broadway in 2003 with songs by Stephen ("Godspell") Schwartz and book by Winnie ("My So-Called Life") Holzman. The touring production of this clever, witty, even wise show returns to Baltimore to shine a bright green light on the fall season, four years after its box office record-breaking first visit. "Wicked" opens Oct. 3 and runs through Nov. 4 at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Call 410-547-7328 or go to ticketmaster.com. -- Tim Smith (Joan Marcus Photo)

Some of us gratefully accept "The Wizard of Oz" without a second thought -- flying monkeys, ruby slippers and Toto, too. But novelist Gregory Maguire found himself asking some tough questions about those good and bad witches who interacted with a dear little Kansan, and exactly why said witches ended up being labeled good and bad. Maguire devised a rich back story about pre-Dorothy Oz in his novel "Wicked," which inspired a hit musical that opened on Broadway in 2003 with songs by Stephen ("Godspell") Schwartz and book by Winnie ("My So-Called Life") Holzman. The touring production of this clever, witty, even wise show returns to Baltimore to shine a bright green light on the fall season, four years after its box office record-breaking first visit. "Wicked" opens Oct. 3 and runs through Nov. 4 at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Call 410-547-7328 or go to ticketmaster.com. -- Tim SmithJoan Marcus Photo